Printing patterns onto composite laminates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845556-B2
Application number	US-201414493364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2014
Priority date	Sep 23, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A composite fiber may include at least one reinforcing filament formed of a first material. A second material maybe systematically deposited in a printed onto the at least one reinforcing filament such that at least one of a length, a width, and a thickness of the second material varies across a surface of the at least one reinforcing filament. The printed pattern may alter one or more properties of a composite structure containing the composite fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a composite fiber comprising:
providing a dry fiber preform or a prepreg material each including a plurality of reinforcing filaments formed of a first material, the reinforcing filaments of the dry fiber preform being dry, the reinforcing filaments of the prepreg material being pre-impregnated with thermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin; and
printing a second material onto the dry fiber preform or the prepreg material using a deposition head of a printer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the second material has at least one of a length, a width, and a thickness of approximately 0.01 to 500 microns.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the second material comprises:
printing the second material in a predetermined printed pattern on an outer portion of the dry fiber preform or the prepreg material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the second material includes particles and/or filament strands.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the second material includes:
moving the deposition head relative to the dry fiber preform or the prepreg material based on a programmable code derived from a digital model (computer-aided-design model) of a predetermined printed pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dry fiber preform or the prepreg material
is provided in at least one of the following fiber forms: a fiber tow, unidirectional tape, woven fabric, non-crimp fabric, a braid, a composite ply.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the second material includes:
moving the deposition head relative to the fiber preform containing the plurality of reinforcing filaments; and
printing the second material onto the fiber perform during layup of the fiber preform.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Meure Samuel J
• Howe Christopher A

Classifications

• D06P5/30

  Ink jet printing · CPC title

• D06P1/44

  using insoluble pigments or auxiliary substances, e.g. binders · CPC title

• D06M11/83

  with metals; with metal-generating compounds, e.g. metal carbonyls; Reduction of metal compounds on textiles · CPC title

• D04H3/12

  with filaments or yarns secured together by chemical or thermo-activatable bonding agents, e.g. adhesives, applied or incorporated in liquid or solid form · CPC title

• D04H3/04

  in rectilinear paths, e.g. crossing at right angles · CPC title